NEXT year's Head for the Hills Festival will not be going ahead, organisers have revealed.

The annual event, which takes place at Ramsbottom Cricket Club, is organised by The Met in Bury, and first started in 2011.

A host of famous names have played the festival, which was formerly known as Ramsbottom Festival, including Sinead O'Connor, The Strangles and The Boomtown Rats.

But organisers have announced that 2018 will be a fallow year as they are in need of a break.

The festival is expected to return in two years' time.

In a statement, they said: "The Met has achieved so much of what we set out to do when creating Ramsbottom Festival in 2011.

"We've brought world famous names to Ramsbottom, supported local bands and international newcomers and entertained over 60,00 music lovers up in the hills

"Since we created the festival we’ve seen big changes to the festival market, with more events than ever taking place in Manchester and Lancashire, some no doubt buoyed by what we’ve achieved in Ramsbottom.

"We exist as an organisation to bring new ideas to new audiences. To do that, we need a little break. A chance to look around, listen to our friends, partners, and the people, artists and festivals who inspire us.

"This means Head for the Hills as you know it will not take place in 2019. This will be a disappointment to some, but our plan is to come back with something brilliant in 2020.

"Our aim is still to deliver an outstanding event, unique for our area. Having done that for eight years, and having listened to the feedback from our festival-goers, we’re more determined than ever to bring brilliance to Bury.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us, played for us and most importantly enjoyed the last eight Septembers in the Ramsbottom hills.

"We look forward to partying with you again in 2020."